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Everybody Loves Birth Control

It’s a weird world where there is a group of people whose political stance seems to be both anti-abortion and anti-birth control. I mean, even the most regressive Republicans have to believe that we’re past the point of “just keep your legs shut, hussy.” And yet. News today that President Obama is “risking the ire” of Catholics by forcing Catholic Universities to offer the same no-copay birth control that every other workplace will offer with their benefits. This despite the fact that according to a survey by the Public Religion Institute, even 58% percent of Catholics support the no-copay birth control measures (and I can’t imagine the remainder would’ve voted for him anyway).

Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, a group that supports access to contraception, said he’s heard from hundreds of women employed by Catholic institutions who welcome the new policy – and express anger at the bishops, who they see lobbying to deny them a benefit provided to others under federal law.

“They think it would be a great injustice that they be treated differently from other workers,” O’Brien said. “Why is it they should be discriminated against?” Yet many are reluctant to speak out publicly, he said, for fear of angering their employer.

A new poll released Tuesday by the Public Religion Research Institute, a non-partisan research group whose board members include a number of religious leaders who have supported progressive causes, found that a majority of Americans – including 58 percent of Catholics – support a requirement that health insurance plans provide free birth control. A slight majority of Catholic voters, 52 percent, said religiously affiliated colleges and hospitals should also have to provide that benefit.

I just don’t understand how we have to keep fighting for access to the most basic family planning materials. It’s literally like the conservative dudes out there don’t think women are people capable of making their own decisions. Fortunately, a group of female Senators agrees. Today a group of them announced that they are launching a campaign to organize for women’s rights.

Led by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), seven Democratic senators and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are appealing to backers on all of their websites to sign on to the “One Million Strong For Women” in hopes of harnessing the energy displayed in the backlash against Komen.

“The strong public outcry in response to the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood last week — which they later reversed — shows how powerful we can be when we come together,” says an email expected to be sent Wednesday by Gillibrand’s office and obtained by The Huffington Post.

“Our right-wing opponents continue to launch attack after attack against women’s rights, women’s health, and women’s economic security — and we’ve got to fight back every single day,” the appeal argues.

At least someone is doing something. This is starting to get ridiculous. In case you forgot where we’ve been check out this disgusting old timey condom:

Does anyone really want that on their dick? You can put up as many legislative barriers as you want, people are not going to stop having sex, and they’re not going to stop wanting birth control.